Health & Fitness: Lesson 2 - How to uncover your why

In Lesson 3 - Have a vision for your health, I shared a way to identify what outcomes you want for your health. I focused on health, performance, aesthetics, and fun. 

Now that you know what you want, the next step is to determine why you desire to be stronger or achieve a certain weight goal. You can think of this as your motivation. This post will cover how you might uncover your reason and motivation; the thing that drives you.

A good technique for uncovering your motivation is Taiichi Ohno's five why's technique. Read up on it, understand it, and apply it to yourself to uncover your own motivation. 

Here is an example: You might start like this: 

Why do I want to eat healthy? 

Because I want to lose weight.

Why do I want to lose weight? 

Because the doctor advised it.

Why did the doctor advice it?

Because I'm at risk of getting diabetes.

Why don't I want to get diabetes?

Because if I do, the emotional, physical, and financial cost of that disease will be too much for me to bear.

Aha! You want to eat healthy because the cost of changing your habits now is far lower than you will need to pay if you reap the eventual consequence of continuing on your current trajectory.

Healthy people are motivated by a variety of reasons to pursue a healthy lifestyle. Here are some examples of motivators that you might find helpful:

Your God

1.  To be a good steward of the temple of God.

   
   

Yourself: 

1. To enjoy good health. 

2. To feel confident about and enjoy your appearance every day.

3. To have the strength to be productive in your career long into your latter years.

   
   

Your spouse: 

1. For your spouse to have peace of mind about your health.

2. To not be a burden.

3. To have the energy and a physique that enhances intimate relations.

   
   

Your children:

a. To be a model for your kids.

b. To have the energy to play with your future grandkids.

5. Your extended family:

a. To improve your chances of outliving your parents so you can care for them.

Please share your own motivation with us in the comments when you've been able to uncover it.  Also write it down, and safely guard it. Whenever you feel unmotivated to take the actions that you know you need to take to care for your health, read it to remind yourself why you do what you do. If you have truly found what motivates you, then your written motivation will be a useful tool in helping you stay the course.